Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-15
IMMIGRATION.
The General Master Workman OF tAe
knights of Labor Comes Out in q
Strong Letter on the Subject.
The Want of the American People Is tho
Restriction of Immigratfon-Dfftsre
Between His Views and nottingham.

last evenings Truth, and intimates thai
the order OF which he is head Is fully
aroused TO the importance OF the QUez
ton srd Will make it one of tbs most
prominent issues in the next Presidents;
campaign. q. (,
Replying TO an editorjaI Ia yestsrday
mornings issue Of Scranton paper
which said that "Mr. Powderly's policy
would shut our doors against the classes
who most Of ell have need of this coun-
try" Mr.. PoWderly says: "My policy
would undoubtedly shut the door sgsinst
great many who most of all have need
OF this country, but it would MT
prevent the landing Of any
individual Of whom tae country is in need
and IS this is O two sided question it is
only fair to consider the requirements
and needs Of the country rs well as 6f
/ those immigTa,ing. The United StatEs Is
acquiring en- influx OF immigrants atHthe
rate CT from 1000 20 $1,000 per day. MY
! experience teaches me that this CCuutry's
/ increasing tide Of immigration is detri-
mental to the immigrant and the country
| to which he comes. l said, and now re-
/ peat it, that until it can be shown that q
/ person landing Oh our shores can be self
sustaining Tor at least one year,
| he should not be allowed to
land. 1t does not follow that
an immigrant should show ready
cash, although that would be
better still. What is required
is 20 know the condition of the
| country and its needs, and the Condi-
ton of the country IS such that q man
cannot be self sustaining for the first year
after his arrival, if re must knock st the
! door Of the mine, mil or factory and
! offer to take the place Of American work
! ingman for less money than that man
receives Tor his lSbOr, then his advent to
! this country psrtakes more of the nature
/ Of 3 curse than 8 blessing. My plan
! does not deal with immigration
! It will through the cid of bureaus
! now being perfected show what amount
Of immigration this country requires.
More than that We should not have.
In answer 10 the assertion that "no
man "a public life has expressed will
! ingncss 10 spp!Y immigration to the re-
! stric.ve measures Mr.. PoWderly advo-
/ Gates" the general master workman
says: "rh2t rnay be accounted for from
| the fact thet scarcely auy Of the men in
public life have ever he'd - Compete with
/ the class OF labor now landing ca our
/ shores. If they had to act the part Of
/ az everyday I8bOrer before becoming
public men, and if they intended TO e
I turn To the ranks of labor after
retiring from public life, our
/ public men might be willing
50 apply even more restrictive measures
than | advocate. Know Nothingism,
as | understand ii, would prevent the
lRudiug'of every foreigner and particularly
q fv,t.
probation can possibly be given to any
thing | have said; men who are prominent
IN politics are not the ones who first
SPEAK out on questions which concern the
people of this country. The people speak
first themselves, and as soon as it is
known the people want q thing q man
prominent in politics viii Join in the cry,
out ne seldom takes the lead. know
what the working people Of this
country want and that want is
not confined to American born working
man, it Is universal. That want is to re-
strict immigration for the sake OF the
country and the Immigrant. In other
words, the wOrkingmen want fair share
Of the protection that is Afforded to the
employer of labor. The man VINO is not
self sustaining is pauper, and this Coun-
try has no use for him. II man who
lands in this country is psuper we have
to sustain him. Il ne throws a resident
of this country out of employment by
taking his situation from him, and work
ing for less wages, he MAKES pauper or
g dependent of an American workman.
Every man, 10 be in accord with the
genius Of our institutions, should be in
dependent and not dependent. The con-
ditiOuS which surrounded the immigrant
Of fifty, twenty-five Or even ten years ago
were far different from these surrounding
the poor fellow who lands to-day, and
among the men who cry out against i'm
migration to-day gre thousands who
landed no longer ago than ten years.
Improved machinery Snd new inventions
have, within the last twenty-five years,
made il possible for one man to 90 the
work OF three, and in many instances the
work OF ten. In every case where
3 mschine made it possible for
man 10 do il dey
what it required three men 10 do before,
two out Of three must look elsewhere for
the means of earning livelihood. Twen- !
tyhVe years have witnessed the ebsorp- |
ton of our public lands by syndicates, /
native and alien. The bonanZa farm on
The one hand and land speculation on the |,
other have made it impossible for the |
two men WHO have been displaced by the !
machine 10 90 upon land and earn 8 liv- /
ing. They musg remsin in the town or !
city. To-day we witness g marvellous |
increase in the population of our cities, !
and an alarming decrease IN the ppDula- !
ton CT cur farming DISTRICTS that is, the |
& agricultural population does not /.
by aDy means keep proportioned with |
the population Of the mining, manufacture |
ing and mechanical centers. All this /
tends 70 show that something must be /
done 20 equaliZe our population"
Mr. PJ@derlY claims that no lsborer /
who lands or American soil from 2 for I
eign country, under the existing coIGi- |
tiOaS, without visible means Of support, |
vii. own home of his Own within the .
next fifty years. He denies that this |
theory IS too radical or contrary TO the |
spirit OF American institutions, and points /
to the action of the Republican party ia .
restricting The Importation Of the product |
Of foreign LABOR or the plea that iJ is for /
the DenehsOf home laOoT,su 81 the same |
time permitting the indiscriminate i'm |
porLation Of the very men against whose /
productions It raises g barrier il the |
shape OF tariff.
The general m6s:erW0rkman is III |
tensely in earnest On the question CT In
and the organization OF which |
re Is The leader will undoubtedly address |
Itself 70 that problem in practical msn-
ner without delay.
Do not forget to addto your drinking
-